


My Favorite Gift

by UnsteadyGenius



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Awkward Crush, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Gladnis, Holidays, I just wanted to do something with the holidays and the boys ok??, Ignis Fluff Week, M/M, Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-11 15:09:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12937896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnsteadyGenius/pseuds/UnsteadyGenius
Summary: Gladiolus Amicitia fell hard and fast for Ignis Scientia.At first, he decides to try and go about his life so he can put his feelings for Ignis behind him, but then the holidays roll around.And Prompto's suggesting they do 'Secret Shiva'.And Gladio gets the one name he hoped to get.





	1. Picking Names

**Author's Note:**

> Um, so I wrote this up and I have basically all of it done, but it got out of hand and too long (thanks to writing most of it during various writing sprints over the last two or three days lol!), so I'm splitting it into three parts. It's my first try at Gladnis, my second favorite pairing, and I was inspired by the holidays and all that stuff. 
> 
> So, whoops! Hope you like it so far :D

Gladiolus Amicitia fell hard and fast for Ignis Scientia.

They grew up together, so naturally, they were close, both because their duties and destinies intertwined and forced them together, but also because they just _clicked_. Ignis was the only person that Gladio could talk politics and work with, and then turn right around and talk about the latest book he’d read or the new coffee joint up the road that he wanted to visit. With Ignis, everything was just easy.

It wasn’t until they were at the movies, watching some stupid shitty ninja flick—a guilty pleasure of Ignis’, Gladio knew—that he looked over and realized how bad he had it for his best friend. Everything about him was perfect. Literally everything. When Ignis looked over and caught his eye, the glow of the movie reflecting off his face and the lenses of his glasses, Ignis smiled.

That smile did Gladio in and Ignis didn’t even fucking know it.

At first, Gladio tried to brush it off. He went on pretending that he wasn’t going home every night after training with Ignis, only to get off to visions of him in crazy advanced fighting poses, the sweat dripping off his forehead and down the nape of his neck. He wasn’t waking up in the middle of the night, restless and on edge after hearing Ignis whisper his name in his dreams, sending a shiver down his spine.

There was no way was he into Ignis.

Absolutely no way.

Gladio chalked up the emotions he was feeling as something that came along with puberty and racing hormones, caught in between a boy and a man and the side-effects of growing up . . . or some stupid bullshit like that; but after a while, he came to the conclusion that it wasn’t puberty or whatever that that made him think of wanting to hold Ignis’ hand, or kiss him, lay around in bed all day and discuss life . . . or push his back into the mattress as he fucked his brains out . . . or maybe he wanted Ignis to . . . to . . . Oh, gods, this was torture.

The unfortunate problem, though, lied in the fact that both Gladio and Ignis were the royal retainers to Noctis, the crown prince of Insomnia. What did that mean, exactly? Well, it meant that Ignis was always incredibly busy, his eyes always on his phone screen, his mind always elsewhere. He worked tirelessly, day in and day out, to ensure that Noctis was well cared for and stayed on top of everything he needed to do as far as his royal assignments were concerned. It also meant that Ignis didn’t have time to even consider the world of dating. In fact, whenever anyone ever asked about his love life and who he was seeing, Ignis would purse his lips and roll his eyes, ending the conversation before it ever began.

Besides that, there was also the fact that Gladio considered Ignis too good for him. Yeah, Gladio was ok in his own right—he was athletic, charming, and he came from wealth and privilege. Family friends always cooed and said any girl would be lucky to have him as their husband when he was ready to marry. So, yeah, Gladio was ok.

But Ignis wasn’t just ok. Gladio would watch him and sigh, afraid that he was completely out of his league. First of all, Ignis was smart. Really fucking smart. He was on his way to head the Strategic Operations group in the Citadel, he graduated high school at the age of twelve at the head of his class, and he knew just about everything there was to know about anything.

He was also kind and selfless, putting everyone else’s needs far above his own every day. He was funny, in that dry, sarcastic sort of way that could be off-putting if you didn’t know Ignis and understand his sense of humor. He worked hard for everything he had and had the tenacious personality to prove it.

There was also the fact that Ignis was drop dead gorgeous. Gladio was good looking and all, but Ignis? Ignis was . . . well . . . he was a gangly and weird looking kid growing up, all limbs and scrawny as fuck, with glasses far too big for his face. He had awful skin; so awful, in fact, that not even the best treatment from the dermatologist could save it at the time and that meant he kept his head down to avoid the humiliating taunts from his peers. Then, to top it all off, he wore some of the most ridiculous looking outfits for someone his age—no, really, the clothes he wore looked like something that Gladio’s great-grandfather probably wore, all dated and much too mature for someone his age.

Then, overnight, he changed. Ignis hit a growth spurt, traded in his coke-bottle glasses for more sophisticated ones, bought some clean cut and trendy clothes that were appropriate for someone in their late teens, started to work out and build some lean muscle on his once-scrawny body, and _finally_ came into his own. He had confidence, grace, poise, and a killer smile that could make any man or woman go weak in the knees, if they were lucky enough to see it.

Gladio knew they would be perfect together if it weren’t for the fact that they worked together on a near-daily basis. Or if Gladio wasn’t supposed to grow up one day and marry a cute Insomnian woman, settle down, and carry on the Amicitia lineage. Or just because Ignis probably was never, and would never be, interested in a guy like Gladiolus Amicitia. Either way, there were far more boxes ticked in the ‘you better keep your mouth shut’ column than there were in the ‘hey, go ahead and tell him how you feel’ column.

It was just never meant to be.  

 

* * *

 

 

Noctis, the prince, befriended a blonde guy at school and slowly that blonde guy became a staple in the group. His name was Prompto and wherever Noctis was, you could be sure to find Prompto right beside him. They were inseparable, and the trio soon became a quartet. Prompto and Noctis’ friendship turned into something a little more serious soon enough, and Noctis made Ignis and Gladio swear on the Cosmogony that they would _never_ tell a soul, at least for right now, that he and Prompto were an item. Gladio remembered rolling his eyes and snorting. As if _he_ would breathe a word about this to anyone. It wasn’t his business to tell and, even if it was, it would make for a media frenzy, one that he knew Ignis did not want to deal with at all.

But, seeing Prompto and Noctis together made Gladio incredibly jealous. They were so fucking happy, sneaking kisses when they thought Gladio or Ignis weren’t looking while they all hung out and cuddling. He’d bite his tongue when he’d notice the flushed looks on both their faces after they’d obviously been caught doing more than _just watching a movie_ alone in Noctis’ bedroom. It wasn’t fair. _Why_ couldn’t he have that with Ignis? It was so simple, right? All he had to do was say something to Ignis and all the confusion and pining would end.

But something like that was never that easy. It couldn’t be. So, Gladio would continue to sit there and pretend to not care that Noctis and Prompto were so in love and sickeningly sweet about it, when the object of his own affection stood not even a few feet away, seemingly ignorant and naïve to anything Gladio was thinking.

Then, the rest of the year went by in a flash. Exams were _finally_ over for the younger boys, everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, and the holidays were finally here. Prompto _loved_ the holidays. He said that the fresh snowfall guaranteed to fall this time of year, the spirit of giving and generosity, and just the general air of things made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He begged Noctis to celebrate with him and Noctis, never one to turn Prompto down, grudgingly obliged. Those damn puppy-dog eyes . . . and that was how the three got roped into Prompto’s plan for Secret Shiva, a popular holiday tradition of gift giving.

“Alright, guys!” Prompto said cheerfully, holding Gladio’s baseball cap in his hand with four folded pieces of paper tossed inside. “Basically, you draw a name and that is who you have to get a gift for. If you get your own name, throw the paper back in and draw again. The limit is 100 gil. Fair enough?”

They all shrugged, unamused. Noctis was only doing this because he loved to make Prompto happy, Ignis knew he was bound to what Noctis ordered him to do, and Gladio, secretly (because he had a façade to keep up of pretending that stuff like this was _so dumb_ ), was also a fan of the holidays. He liked seeing the joy on everyone’s face when they were surrounded by loved ones at this time of year, opening heart-felt presents . . . plus, he was allowed to _finally_ wear the ugly sweater that his little sister, Iris, bought him a while back. He’d never admit it, but he was a sucker for this time of year.

One by one, Prompto held the cap out to each of them. Noctis forever looked bored and his face hardly betrayed him as he read who he had. When it was Gladio’s turn, he snatched up a tiny piece of paper and held it close to his chest. 

_Please be Iggy. Please be Iggy. PLEASE be Iggy!_

He could’ve had anyone in that room (which wasn't saying much, since there were only four of them in on this gift exchange). Anyone at all. However, the gods and fate and whatever other magnanimous force combined in that moment to give Gladio the one name he desperately wanted. His breath caught in his throat and he hid a smile as he read Ignis’ name scrawled in tiny letters.

This was it. This was Gladio’s opportunity to maybe, possibly, get Ignis something that showed how he felt about him. He could use this opportunity to tell Ignis his true feelings instead of hiding behind the whole friendship front. The apples of his cheeks began to burn as he smiled brightly, barely unable to contain his happiness. It couldn’t be more perfect.

As Gladio’s attention came back into the living room, he looked around and stopped when he noticed that Ignis’ face was, for the most part, well-disguised so he didn’t let on who he had. Try as he might, though, Gladio knew him better than he probably knew himself. There was a weird glint in his eye and his mouth curved almost imperceptibly into a frown. Seriously, to the untrained eye, Ignis looked the same as he always did—composed, indifferent, and apathetic—but Gladio wondered who Ignis had to cause him to almost . . . was he wincing? Was he upset? Seriously, what was up with Iggy?

 Just as the future Shield opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, Noctis ruined the moment by blowing out a huff of air and crumpling the piece of paper in his hand. “Alright, can we play video games now?” he asked everyone in the room, but only Prompto followed him to the couch, already hurling insults and threats of winning his way.

When Gladio looked over to try and ask Ignis again what was the matter, he found the advisor was already staring at him, his face a myriad of emotions rolled into one, or at least that’s what Gladio assumed. Just as their eyes locked, Ignis stood and walked—wait, did he walk? Or did he practically _run_? —away, pulling his phone from his back pocket to probably distract from how awkward he was making this right now.

It was like he couldn’t get away from Gladio fast enough.

Ok, so maybe Gladio was just overthinking that reaction of Ignis’. The guy always had a lot of his plate and maybe he was just annoyed that he’d have to add ‘getting a gift for Secret Shiva’ to the endless laundry list of things he needed to do. It was an inconvenience, sure, but it wasn’t _that_ bad, Gladio thought. Ignis had his fair share of assistants at his disposal if he needed them, should he be unable to run out and finish a simple shopping errand. So, why was he so _weird_ just now? It didn’t make sense.

Alone on the floor, between the living room and the kitchen, Gladio stayed seated with Ignis’ name in his hand, wearing the paper thin with worry the more he played with his between his fingers. He really didn’t have time to agonize over why Ignis was suddenly so strange right now. Gladio had more pressing things to think about, like what gift to get someone who you’ve been crushing on for what felt like forever. What could he get Ignis that was both simple and, at the same time, worthy of him?

There had to be _something_ that Ignis would love, while at the same time _maybe_ expressing just how much Gladio loved him. Fuck, this was going to be difficult. Whatever Gladio decided, it would have to be good.

Really fucking good.


	2. Finding the Right Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you very much for all the love I got in the last chapter. You all are the best (especially because posting this fic made me so nervous and I wanted to get it just right!) <3

As it turns out, 100 gil doesn’t buy much in Insomnia.

Fucking Prompto and his stupid fucking gil limit.

Gladio was incredibly grateful that Prompto at least had the sense to have them pick names a good week and a half in advance. Even if he didn’t, he knew that Ignis would’ve put in his two cents on how they’d all need enough time to shop for their person, knowing full well he was referring especially to Noctis and his pugnacious attitude when it came to something like this (Gladio knew the kid was kind-hearted and all, but he wasn’t exactly the type to get things done on time if it weren’t for Ignis and himself always riding his ass). Either way, Gladio needed all the time he could get between now and the day of the gift exchange to seek out and purchase the best present for Ignis that fell within their stated budget.

The stores were packed every time Gladio headed into the heart of downtown Insomnia. It was below freezing outside and the precipitation vacillated between ice and rain and snow, but each store bumped the heat up to such a high temperature that Gladio swore he felt the sweat dripping off his balls. He couldn't easily remove his scarf and winter coat, so he'd leave all that on, suffering from the ridiculous hot flashes, and barge his way through the throngs of people.

So. Many. People.

A guy like him, built the way he was, didn’t exactly get around comfortably in crowded stores. Some people would say he was like a bull in a china shop . . . but even a bull in a china shop was a lot less likely to bump into, knock over, or topple any display or shelving or rack of some sort like Gladio had the tendency to do. It was absolute madness out in the shopping district of Insomnia and Gladio’s patience wore thin each time he attempted to shop these days. People fighting for items on shelves, waiting in unmoving lines to check out . . .

If trying to navigate the stores and the crowds wasn’t bad enough, Gladio also had to contend with the fact that he was going in blind to this Secret Shiva exchange bullshit. Right now, he was, more or less, going purely on what Ignis fancied as far as hobbies were concerned, but then he realized Ignis didn’t really _have_ any hobbies. His hobbies were work and looking after Noctis . . . and Prompto if he was there, too. Yeah, the guy loved cooking and that was a fun hobby for him, but the bookshelf at his apartment was already busting at the seams with cookbooks crammed into it. He had top of the line cookware, every appliance imaginable, and it was pointless to get the dude some cooking class pass when Gladio knew full-well that Ignis would probably end up _teaching_ the class if he went. So, all of that was out of the question.

Ok, fine; what about something that he could use to pamper himself or whatever guys like Ignis chose to do? Then, Gladio remembered the time that Ignis passed him in the halls of the Citadel, ill-tempered and very cross with one hand resting behind him on his lower back. “The Citadel masseuse insisted I get the deep-tissue massage. All she did was injure me to the point of me having to clear my schedule to head to the infirmary. I will _never_ get a massage ever again. _Ever_ ,” he growled before hobbling away. So, that was out of the question. Besides, even if he _did_ love getting massages or indulging in some TLC every now and then, that would mean Ignis would actually have to _have_ _time_ to do so. And honestly . . . did Ignis even know the meaning of the words ‘free time’??

“Focus, Amicitia!” Gladio grumbled under his breath, leaving yet another store empty-handed. “You’ve gotta find something!” Well, what about . . . what if . . . could he . . . fuck. This was going to be harder than he originally thought.

Each day that passed caused the little knot of worry in the pit of Gladio’s stomach to tighten even more. He was quickly running out of time. Gladio conceded that he’d need reinforcements, someone with a different outlook and a better eye for these types of situations (even _if_ said person was his younger sister), so he brought Iris with him one day to help him find something. He was careful to act nonchalant when describing Ignis and what he’d be interested in, scared that Iris, bless her sharp mind, would catch on that Gladio was looking for a gift as more than just a friend. Iris was no help though; she insisted he buy Ignis a Moogle stuffed animal to sleep with at night in bed, but Gladio knew that was Iris-code for coyly asking for a gift of her own. “Iris, Ignis doesn’t need a Moogle plushie and I don’t think you do, either.”

“Gladdy, _everyone_ needs a moogle! _Especially_ Ignis!”

“You mean ‘especially’ _you_?”

Fed up with the crowds, the people, and the repeated epic fail at finding the right gift, Gladio bought the damn Moogle plushie, handed it to his little sister as a thank you for her ‘help’, and together they trudged through the slush and mud all the way home so he could make her lunch.

After she finished the grilled cheese sandwich and the bowl of tomato soup that he’d made for her, Iris whined in a high-pitch, nasally voice that she wanted dessert. “ _Pleaaaasseeee_ Gladdy??”

“Ok? What do you want?”

She didn’t even waste a second before responding. “Cupcakes!”

Gladio heaved a sigh and slung the dishrag he was using to clean up the counters up over his shoulder. “Really, Iris? Now? You know, dad’s going to kill me for letting you have sweets.”

Oh, gods . . . the pouty face. The albinogin tears. The quivering lip. She had Gladio wrapped around her little finger and he acquiesced. “Fine, let’s go to that little shop over by your school.”

“No! I want _you_ to make them! Theirs are so . . . _blech_!” She made a gagging sound, almost like just the mere thought of these mass-made cupcakes at a corporate chain was enough to make her gag. “Yours are really ugly and everything, but at least they’re made with _love_!”

“Hey, that’s not nice! I’m not going to make you cupcakes if you call them . . . “ Gladio faded off and his eyes widened. An idea hit him so suddenly and he wondered why he hadn’t thought of this before.

Made with _love_ . . .

That was it!!

Gladio wouldn’t _buy_ Ignis’ Secret Shiva gift.

He would _make_ it!

Quickly, Gladio concurred with his sister that cupcakes were a great idea right now and that they’d most definitely need to make these. Ordering her to get her shoes again, they both went to grab some supplies for cupcakes at the nearby grocery store. While chucking a boxed funfetti cake mix and a funfetti frosting canaster into their cart for Iris, Gladio also perused the internet on his phone and found a recipe for an Ebony Coffee Cupcake, topped with a rich and decadent whipped chocolate ganache and a single chocolate square.

Even though he didn’t look like he would, Ignis had a fierce sweet tooth. Gladio knew him to keep a stash of sweets hidden in the pantry of his apartment, high up so he’d have to strain to get them. It was always so fucking adorable to see Ignis struggle on his tiptoes when he was desperate for a cookie or some high-caloric and sugar-loaded packaged pastry, his tongue always poking out in determined concentration and his eyes clenched shut as he stretched just a _tiny_ bit more to reach. Whenever he did achieve his goal of grabbing something from that top shelf, he’d mutter a silent ‘Yes!’ and close the pantry door, walking away like nothing had happened.

Seeing that entire scene every time it happened always made Gladio’s heart flutter.

For Secret Shiva, Gladio’s plan was to make these cupcakes and then write some stupid note to stuff in the Tupperware container. Nothing long, just a few words that could pull everything together and didn’t leave Ignis with the thought that Gladio only baked a batch of fucking cupcakes, called it a gift, and went on his merry way.

But then he had to wonder what was the best tone to use in writing this note?

Should he be heartfelt and genuine? ‘I’ve loved you for a really long time and I think it’s about time we admit that we become an item. You’re my everything and I would be forever lost without you in my life. This holiday season, you’d make me the happiest guy in the world if you said yes to being my boyfriend.’ Would that make him seem like he was coming off too strong, too fast? Furthermore, did it sound too cheesy and sappy?

What if he went down the route of indifference? Maybe play a little hard to get? ‘Iggy, you’re really cool. Wanna date? Fuck? Something? Whatever you want, bro. I’m cool with whatever.’

Ew. No. If anything, _that_ would be the thing to scare Ignis away. Gladio knew he _hated_ ambiguity and that, the angle of apathy, was the embodiment of ambiguity.

_UGH._

The day of the gift exchange, Gladio shooed away his family’s kitchen staff, retrieved the ingredients he’d hidden from plain view in the back of a relatively unused cabinet, and got to work, learning real fast that these cupcakes were easier said than done: They had to be mixed just right, the ganache came out tasting weird at first, he forgot to turn on the oven at first and had to wait for _that_ to heat up, and then Iris came in and dragged her little fingers in the batter, pulling away before Gladio could smack her hand out of the bowl.

A few more adjustments here and there, and with Iris’ approval, Gladio _finally_ pulled the cupcakes from the oven and he immediately started to frost them. Once that was done, he stared and frowned at his creation. Iris was right—his cupcakes truly were ugly. They were uneven, the ganache was melting because the cupcakes were way too hot when he piped it on each individual cupcake, and they were just not what Gladio expected.

How on Eos could he make them look better?? They were so _unsightly,_ made worse by the fact that the fucking ganache wouldn’t stay on the damn cupcake! Drumming his fingers on the countertop with one hand while running his other hand through his hair that he’d begun to recently grow out, Gladio remained stumped. There wasn’t enough time to make another batch and there _definitely_ weren’t enough ingredients left to do so even if he wanted to. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Gladio saw and remembered the icing pen he’d absentmindedly thrown into his cart when he went shopping and shrugged.

Instead of writing out a love letter professing his undying crush on Ignis, he’d just write a message across the tops of the cupcakes.

It’s not like writing a message on them would make them any uglier at this point anyway.

But Gladio had _no idea_ how wrong he was.

With the icing pen, Gladio moved the tip over the tops of each iced cupcake, squeezing out the phrase ‘These cupcakes R ugly, but U sure R’nt’ and then put a squiggly line in the shape of what looked like a heart just under those words.

When he stepped back to admire his handiwork, panic immediately washed over him. _Now_ the cupcakes looked even _worse_! _And_ they had a stupid-ass pickup line on them.

Fucking great.

“I _told you_ your cupcakes are ugly, Gladdy!” Iris mocked from her chair on the other side of the counter, pointing and giggling at the dessert but unable to read the message from where she sat, thank the Astrals.

“ _IRIS GET OUT._ ”

She giggled again and ran away, the Moogle he’d bought her tucked under her arm. Gladio looked at the time on his phone, praying to the gods that he’d have time to maybe run out and pick up a gift card or something before heading over to Noctis’, but he was cutting it close and it wasn’t worth the risk.

Goddammit.

Filled with shame and frustration, Gladio picked up the cupcakes and arranged them in the Tupperware, one by one, so that they displayed the message he’d written across them already. Meh, maybe Gladio was overreacting. He tried to reason with himself that he was more terrified of the fact that he was actually going to do this. After all this time as friends, and under the guise of the holiday spirit and gift-giving, Gladiolus Amicitia was going to admit that he loved his best friend, Ignis Scientia.

When he finished packing the cupcakes into the container and looked down at them one more time, he swore in that moment he could’ve cried.

Those cupcakes were really fucking ugly.

It was definitely how shitty the cupcakes looked that terrified Gladio.

But he had no excuse.

At least Iris told him—no, basically _warned him_ —that he made ugly cupcakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to kudo and comment if you liked this! It makes me very happy <3 <3
> 
> Come talk to me on twitter or on tumblr! I love to scream a lot about these two these days XD
> 
> AND THREE DAYS UNTIL EPISODE IGNIS DROPS I'M JUST SAYIN'.


	3. Well, That's Not Good

When Gladio came to Noctis’ floor, he took a deep breath and forced himself to step off that elevator and walk to Noct’s place. The hallway extended on forever. Had it always been this long? Was it hot in here all of a sudden? Why was he so thirsty now? Was it possible for someone’s heart to move from its spot in their chest all the way up to their throat? Surely that was possible, because Gladio felt like it was happening right now. And _fuck_ he was getting really dizzy and disordered.

                It wasn’t a medical anomaly, _dammit_!

                Gladio barely knocked twice before the door swung open, revealing a very festive Prompto dressed in the most ironically-cute yet still an ugly sweater with a weird repeating chocobo pattern on it. “You made it!” he exclaimed, almost like he was shocked that Gladio showed up at all.

“I made it!” Gladio parroted with mock enthusiasm, unable to hide his nerves as his voice cracked and went up an octave.

The blonde turned his head slightly. “You ok, bro? You don’t look so good . . . you’re really pale.”

“Shut up and let me in, or I’m leaving right now,” Gladio growled, all but pushing his way passed the kid into Noctis’ apartment. He didn’t have _time_ to pretend that he was ok. He wasn’t ok. He was a nervous fucking wreck. But, upon entering the ‘humble’ abode (humble used in a joking manner because Noctis’s dad basically bought the penthouse of the apartment, so it was enormous and decorated to the nines with all the best that gil could buy), Gladio couldn’t help but grin.

Prompto did a great job decorating. He’d made it look like the holidays threw up everywhere—tinsel hung up along the edge of the bar counter, lights strung up on the balcony and turned on for all of Insomnia to see, festive music playing from a wireless speaker, and a wintery doormat and a gigantic wreath hung up on the apartment door. Though he tried to make some light finger foods for the four of them, it was Ignis instead who came to the rescue there, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and quickly pulling together some dishes that he knew the others would enjoy.

“Glad you could make it, Gladio,” an accented voice clipped from its spot by the stove. Gladio spun around, the stupid Tupperware in his hands, as Ignis dried his own hands off with a spare dish towel before striding toward him. If Gladio thought he was going to be sick earlier, he had no idea what he was in for right now.

“Oh . . . uh . . . hey Iggy. You . . . uh . . . you are . . . look . . . your glasses are cool.”

Ignis raised an eyebrow, utterly confused at the complete 180 in Gladio’s usually calm and collected composure. “Gladio, I wear these every day. They’re nothing new,” he pointed out, taking them off and offering them to him, though Gladio wouldn’t have been able to take them if he wanted since his hands were already full. Ignis shrugged and replaced them on his face. “Are you alright? You’re quite pallid.”

Great, so he noticed, too, that he wasn’t looking so hot. Oh no . . . now the back of Ignis’ bare hand was reaching up and making _direct_ contact with Gladio’s forehead. Fuck, now it was moving to his cheek. Gladio gulped and forced his eyes away from the Chamberlain’s, afraid that they would give away his deep dark secret of how much he loved him. How he dreamt of him (almost) every night. How he _wished_ Ignis’ lips would fall on his, kissing him deeply. Passionately.

Just as he felt his pants tighten, his cock pressing hard against the seam of his jeans with Ignis touching his face ever so gently, Gladio tore away and stepped several steps back. “Yeah . . . this weather is _crazy_ , yeah? Can’t trust the news these days! _Anyway, great catching up with you_!”

The weather? _Seriously??_

He mentally kicked himself. Gladio wasn’t even sure if Ignis gave him a weird look, if he knew Gladio was acting weird, or whatever, but the future Shield knew he needed to get away from him . . . and _fast_. Still, he could feel the burning sensation of Ignis’ eyes on his back as he scurried to the tree, all but throwing the wrapped Tupperware under it. After that, he basically busied himself with Prompto and Noctis’ lives, acting _so interested_ in what they had to say, when his mind was a million miles elsewhere.

More like a million miles on Planet Ignis Scientia.

When everything stopped feeling _so_ _awkward_ , that’s when the evening began to fall into place. Gladio allowed himself to make his way back to the kitchen area, hip against the counter with a beer in hand that he grabbed from Noct’s refrigerator, though Ignis scowled at the fact that there was beer in there in the first place. There were only two people who would get the boys beer anyway: one of them was Nyx Ulric, a popular Glaive who thought rather highly of the future king . . . and the other? Well, the other was standing right in the kitchen with Ignis . . . drinking said beer.

Gladio sneered at the peeved look he was receiving from Ignis. Yeah, so what if he bought Noctis and Prompto beer before they were of legal age? It wasn’t like they were drinking it outside of the apartment, and Noct was under strict instructions to be responsible with it. Still, to see Ignis furrow his brows and form a firm line with his lips . . . fuck, Gladio wanted to kiss that look right off his face and pull him into the bedroom right now. He was so attractive and, yet, he didn’t even fucking know it.

Six, how had Gladio gotten here? How had he fallen so deep in love with his best friend? All of it was so overwhelming and scary. Oh, who was he kidding? It wasn’t like he even stood a chance. Gladio was Gladio and Ignis was . . . well . . . Ignis was _Ignis_.   

Time crawled. Literally, it felt like he’d been there for days, when it couldn’t have been more than an hour and a half, tops. Gladio drank a few more beers—easy enough with his build and muscle mass—and had to really . . . _really_ restrain himself from wrapping an arm around Ignis’ waist as he stayed busy in the kitchen. When he started to have those lovey-dovey fluffy thoughts, Gladio immediately switched from beer to water. Nope, he was _not_ going to let alcohol fuck today up and scare Ignis away.

Ignis yelled out that healthy snacks were on the bar counter for anyone who wanted them, but not a single limb, nor a single muscle, budged at that _joyous_ prospect. With a sigh, Ignis then grudgingly said that there were chips and queso and some pizza pockets as well. _That_ got the boys up and eating.

 When they all had their fill of the finger foods that Ignis whipped up, and maybe a mug or two of spiked hot chocolate (this time, even Ignis imbibed in a few mugs), Prompto ushered them over to the tree and vibrated with excitement. “Ok! Noct, since it’s your place, how about you go first??” he nudged.

“Me? Are you sure? I mean, you’re hosting the damn party, don’t you think you should go first?” The prince shrugged and stretched over to grab a medium-sized wrapped box, placing it in Prompto’s lap. “Ok, then. Here. Merry Shivamas.”

Gladio watched as Prompto at first seemed a little hurt with how blasé Noctis was over the entire thing, not a care that _this_ was Prompto’s favorite time of the year. Yeah, he looked happy that his boyfriend had his own name, but the excitement was almost cancelled out by the lack of enthusiasm from Noct. Nonetheless, the blonde opened his gift and sputtered what could only be described as animated and thrilled noise.

Gladio looked from Prompto over to Noct, seeing that tiny smirk grow on his face. Maybe he wasn’t as blasé as they all thought.  From the box, Prompto pulled out a brand new DLR camera. The kid looked like he was ready to cry as he balked at the present. Once again, Noct shrugged. “I see how often you use that red digital camera of yours, so I did some research and apparently this camera is one of the best ones for taking high-quality photos.” There was silence that Noctis mistook for disappointment in the gift, and he reached over to possibly take the camera away from Prompto’s hands. “You know, if you don’t like it, we can br—”

Gladio rolled his eyes in an amused manner as Prompto lunged forward and captured Noctis’ mouth, mid-sentence, in a heartfelt kiss. Ignis coughed—maybe to remind them that they weren’t alone, or maybe because he actually had to cough—and the two pulled away.

“No, not at all! I don’t . . . Dude, this is seriously the best present anyone has ever gotten me! Bu, what about the 100 g—”

“Hush. We can talk about that later, if you want. Don’t worry about it.”

Noctis was always incredibly generous with his money and, for a long time at the beginning of their friendship, all the way into their relationship, it made Prompto super uncomfortable, especially since he had to work two part-time jobs to take home some extra spending gil. In this case, however, Gladio figured that Noctis probably saw the spending limit as more of a guideline of sorts. It probably didn’t matter to him, especially since they were dating. Maybe Noctis thought to just get Prompto one giant gift and that would be his entire Shivamas gift to Prompto this year. Noctis didn’t look the least bit put off by the gift he’d given his boyfriend and Prompto didn’t look like he would argue anymore.

There was some shuffling as Prompto carefully put the camera to the side out of harm’s way, finding his own gift that he brought. “Well, shit, this is yours. I had your name, but if I’d known you were going to get me . . . fuck, man . . . I don’t know how it even comes close to what you just got me.”

Paper went everywhere and Gladio tried to grab Ignis as the man picked up the discarded paper (“Ignis, for Astrals’ sake, sit down for five fucking minutes and have some fun! We can clean the paper later!”). Noctis let out a holler and held up the newest, most graphic and violent video game this generation had ever seen, along with a new oversized sleep sweater to wear in the winter, perfect for lazy days in bed.

Ignis tutted and made some comment about how he’d have to make sure it was alright with the king before Noctis could play with the game, but Noctis already pressed the button on his game console to open the tray, obviously very happy with what Prompto bought him. “I’ve been _dying_ to play this! How did you even get your hands on this? I’ve called every store—”

“You mean, _I_ called every store,” Ignis interrupted, picking up the paper that Gladio knew he’d been itching to get off the floor and discarded it into the trash can nearby.

Noctis ignored Ignis and waited for Prompto to tell him where he got the game. “Oh . . . you know . . . that one store at the edge of the walls? Like, in that gross part of town? The one place you said you’d never be caught dead in? That one. Anyway, they had one left and I took the day off from both jobs to drive out there to get it. I had to sign a waiver and everything saying I wasn’t underage!”

Gladio snorted. He sounded really fucking proud of that. As the game was loading, Noctis popped another kiss on his boyfriend’s lips, very smitten and in love. It appeared they really didn’t care what happened anymore with Ignis and Gladio.

Speaking of Ignis and Gladio, this turn of events left them alone while the other two were engrossed in the game and each other. Clearly, as the only two left who hadn’t gotten gifts yet in a group of only four guys total, this meant they had each other. Ignis began to say something at the same time that Gladio did, but they immediately clamped their mouths shut and waited for the other to start talking again. When neither one did, they chuckled nervously.

“So . . . ah . . . Iggy . . . I uh . . . yeah, so I had you. Hold on, let me get it,” he stammered, pulling from under the tree a large plastic container and a smaller box on top. “I hope you like it.”

Ignis’ face softened as he took the present from Gladio, weighing it in his hands. “Well this is an unexpected surprise,” he laughed, starting to turn it over to look underneath it.

“Oh, uh! Yeah, just . . . just open it, ok? Don’t shake it around . . . it’s bad enough already.”

He tilted his head and looked at Gladio over the rims of his glasses. “Giving me a gift that you are already unsure of? That’s unnerving,” he said, a tone in between that of seriousness and teasing. When Gladio didn’t say anything else, Ignis sighed and began opening the gift. It was a long and drawn out process, or so it seemed. Gladio was really beginning to regret cutting himself off from the beers he was drinking earlier. He could’ve really gone for a buzz right about now . . . or a full-blown alcoholic coma.

Just as soon as Ignis opened the container, a perplexing expression clouded his face. He could not read whether or not Ignis was amused or not, a first for Gladio as he was pretty good at figuring out what Ignis was thinking without him saying a word. When he peeled the lid back and looked inside, he went from perplexed to outright angry. Gladio saw the muscles along his jawline tense and he closed his eyes, closing the container and putting it on the ground. “Is this your idea of a joke?” he coldly asked, one hand still on top of the Tupperware.

Gladio was expecting some dry laughter, maybe an eyeroll. Who knew, though? Was there a chance he was just so upset at how the cupcakes looked that it made him angry? Ignis was a judgmental fuck when he wanted to be, but Gladio couldn’t see him being outright _cruel_ and condescending about his gift. The stare he was receiving made him shift uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”

“Specs,” Noctis drawled, barely passing a bored glance his way as Prompto snuggled into his boyfriend’s shoulder, watching the flashing lights and the exploding guts of aliens fly at the screen being maimed and murdered by Noctis’ character. “What did you get?”

Ugh, there were those stupid pursed lips. “Nothing, Highness. Just . . .” Ignis opened his mouth and clamped it shut again, trying to formulate words. There were few times that Gladio had been on the receiving end of Ignis’ anger, but nothing could compare to the fury he was probably about to receive here shortly.

Fuck, no wonder Noctis hated when Ignis was in a bad mood. It seemed Ignis had the type of slow temper to bring a chill to a room. Only this time . . . this time, it was only Gladio who could feel it. Without thinking, he crossed his arms over his chest and hugged his sweater close to him, desperately trying to read Ignis’ mind right about now.

“Mmmhmmm . . . cool.”

Well, thank gods Noctis had a one-track mind and wasn’t very interested in what Ignis had to say anymore. Gladio wrung his hands in his lap, then moved to messing with his hair, then rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought you would . . . Iggy . . . “ He lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’s not a joke. I mean, yeah, it’s supposed to be funny, but only because I’m . . . I didn’t mean . . . “

Doubt, dread, anxiousness, and fear pooled and weighed heavy in his chest and stomach. The look that Ignis shot him scared the shit out of Gladio. He didn’t _think_ his gift was that bad, but maybe it was? Fuck, if Ignis truly was uncomfortable with his declaration of feelings, then Gladio was going to be in for a world of hurt from here on out. The _last_ thing he wanted to do was ruin their friendship.

“I don’t appreciate being the butt of your games, Gladiolus Amicitia.”

Ouch, the full name. “I don’t under—”

“If you wanted to have a little fun at my expense, you could’ve chosen other avenues; put a frog in my drawer at work, changed the language on my phone or computer to reflect that of the Ancient Lucian language, or any number of practical jokes. Instead, you gift me these treats and write that you find me attractive? Toying with someone’s emotions is low, even for you.”

Oh, fuck. Ignis really _did_ think Gladio was playing with his heart. He scooted over reach for Ignis’ arm, but only found air as Ignis pulled away. This plan was _not_ very well thought out. Maybe the heartfelt letter would’ve been a better option. “No . . . no, I don’t . . . Iggy, come on, listen! That gift is . . . “

“Well, as it were,” Ignis interposed, flinging the last gift from under the tree into Gladio’s lap without even a second thought, “this is for you, though if I’d _known_ we were playing Dirty Shiva, I would’ve tried a little less.”

By now, Noctis had paused the game and Prompto sat up to look over the edge of the couch. Both caught on that there was a brusque argument happening and it piquied their interest. “Uh . . . guys . . . is everything ok?”

“Yeah, just a misunderstanding! There’s nothing wrong, right, Iggy? It’s a simple misunder—”

Ignis didn’t wait for Gladio to finish his sentence, standing up and leaving the gift on the floor at his feet. With a rude nudge of his foot, Ignis slid the cupcakes back in front of Gladio, turning on his heels and marching toward the door. “It’s getting late and I have far too much work to do tonight, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way.” He forced a smile in Prompto and Noctis’ direction. “The apartment looks lovely, gentlemen. I appreciate the invite this evening. Please, don’t stay up too late tonight, hm?”

Prompto sputtered out some words or something to stop Ignis from leaving, Noctis started to ask where he was going, but Gladio’s just sat, dumbfounded, with his gift in front of him and Ignis’ gift for him still in his lap. They were supposed to be best friends. Surely Ignis wasn’t this much of an asshole to everyone who confessed their feelings for him—because he was sure it happened more often than Ignis cared to admit—but Gladio and Ignis had never spoken much about their romantic endeavors before, so maybe he _was_ a jerk in the love department. The more he stewed, seemingly rejected by his long-time crush, the angrier he got. Ignis didn’t even _let_ him explain himself. He glared as Ignis stepped into his shoes and waved goodbye, not another word as he flicked open the lock, opened the door, and left.

The tension was thick. Uncomfortable. Prompto looked utterly distraught that his party—because, yes, Prompto still wanted to call it a party even though it was only the four of them—went to shit, but it was Gladio who felt his world crumble.

“Gladio, what did you give him??” Noctis asked, walking over to look at the offensive gift. Gladio made a grab for it and held it close to his chest, not allowing Noct to see what was in the box. “Come on, dude. What is it? A sex toy or something?”

“Yeah, Big Guy, how did you get under his skin? Whatever you gave him really pissed him—”

“Will you two _shut up_ and _leave me alone_??” Gladio yelled, defensive and hurt. His heart felt painful in his chest, an ache that he’d never experienced before. It wasn’t fair though. How could Ignis storm off like that without giving him an explanation? _Something_!

He wasn’t going to take this laying down. They were supposed to at least be best friends; fuck, Ignis could at least be honest and tell Gladio to his face that he didn’t like him _like that_. Stacking the gifts, Ignis’ on top of Gladio’s, he took one a cookie from the counter on his way to the door and shoved it in his mouth. “Great party,” he mumbled, shoving his feet into his shoes and leaving before he could hear Prompto’s whiney protest.

Hey, they should be grateful; now they had the rest of the night to themselves and could do whatever the fuck they wanted, wherever they wanted in that apartment.

Gladio huffed and puffed down the streets of Insomnia, his breath creating little clouds in the air. He walked with purpose and he swaggered as anger boiled his blood with every step he took. Ignis’ reaction was _completely_ uncalled for. It was embarrassing and rude at a bare minimum, as well as incredibly hurtful.

_What a dick_.

_How_ dare _he._

_Fucking asshole._

Somehow, despite the busy streets and Gladio’s clouded judgement, he reached Ignis’ apartment in record time. The Shield was so used to having use his car to get to his place since they lived so far away—Gladio in the district of suburbs known for their opulent wealth, Ignis in the heart of the financial district and a stone’s throw away from the Citadel and Noctis—so he had planned to use the time that it _normally_ took to get to Ignis’ place as time to cool down. However, that obviously wasn’t going to be the case today and Gladio found himself holding both presents in one hand and banging on his friend’s door with the other in record time.

It didn’t take long for Ignis to swing the door open, the collar of his dress shirt already unbuttoned and the shirt itself loosely untucked from his pants. For a second, Gladio’s speech he’d conjured up in his head on the way over eluded him. Seeing the top of his shirt undone and that distractingly-sexy yet impossibly-still-angry frown on his lips sent a jolt of want—no, _need_ —straight to his cock, but he pushed those illicit thoughts away, narrowing his eyes and shifting his weight ever so slightly. Gladio was here for a reason, dammit, and he was going to get to the bottom of this.  

“Ignis, we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I apologize for any errors or anything in this. I will re-edit deeper tomorrow afternoon, but I've been too deep in Episode Ignis Hell that I kinda let that take precedence. I'm sorry! But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know I said 3 parts before, but this story got away from me and the next chapter is a little more lengthy ;)
> 
> Also, wow . . . you all are so nice!!! Wow, thank you all so much for your support!! <3 It means the WORLD to me!!
> 
> Come say hi to me on Tumblr or Twitter. Same user name as here :D


	4. My Favorite Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, I'm really shocked at how many people have liked this fic and have commented so far. I can't say enough how happy you all have made me, so I hope this chapter lives up to the hype. Your comments and kudos mean the world to me, seriously. Thank you thank you thank you!!! <3
> 
> Enjoy! :)

“Ignis, we need to talk.”

 Gladio knew he had him when he said those words. Ignis could’ve slammed the door in his face, locked it and turned off all the lights in his apartment. He could’ve not even opened the door at all, but he did and Gladio made sure to take a subtle step forward and strategically place his foot where Ignis wouldn’t be able to shut it on him. He noticed Ignis flinch, standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. “If my exit wasn’t sufficient enough to show you that I’m irate, then let me make myself clear—I do not wish to speak with you right now, especially if you plan on being rather flippant when it comes to matters of the heart.”

Ok, that was the—what, second? Third?—time that Ignis had brought up emotions and feelings since opening Gladio’s gift. Ignis looked like he was chewing the inside of his cheek, the only sign that maybe he wasn’t as strong right now as he pretended to be. Still, Gladio was hurt and angry at Ignis’ reaction. He wasn’t leaving without getting this straightened out. “Ignis, what the fuck is your deal? I’m not playing a trick on you. I really . . .” he exhaled and ran a hand through his hair, balancing the two gifts in his other hand. “. . . I tried really hard with this gift, ok? I’m not the best with words, so fuck me for trying to be funny here.”

“Funny? I wasn’t under the impression that these were supposed to be gag gifts.”

“No, no . . . they’re not . . . I was just . . . I was trying to . . . “

That didn’t seem to soften Ignis’ stance, but he waited around for a better explanation. “Go on . . .” he prompted.

At least he was listening, but the warm air from inside the apartment clashed with the bitter chill outside, making the larger young man shiver uncontrollably. “Can I at least explain inside where it’s not colder than Shiva’s tits outside? Goddamn!”

And _there_ was a smile that Gladio hoped for. It wasn’t a full-on smile, but it was at least a smirk and Gladio would take what he could get right now. Ignis stepped aside just enough to let Gladio take two giant strides inside, closing the door behind them. The problem was that Ignis was still tense, walls up for some reason. “As you were saying before you decided to bring up the Ice Mother’s chest in such a rude fashion?”

“Shiva’s tits, Ignis. That’s what I said. You don’t have to make everything sound so proper, you know.” Gladio took a nanosecond to collect his thoughts and reorient himself. The impatient tapping of Ignis’ foot on the hardwood floor—immaculate and probably mopped just that morning—told Gladio his time was quickly running out. “Listen, this? These fucking things?” He held up the Tupperware with the gift Ignis had thrown at him on top. “This wasn’t supposed to be a joke. I didn’t know what to get you that would . . . fuck, this is hard.”

Ignis wasn’t making this any easier, never once faltering in his annoyance. He was the king of holding grudges and waiting things out to get his way—he _was_ Noctis’ caretaker, after all. It was the only way to deal with the brat sometimes. “Spit it out, Gladio. You haven’t made much of a case for yourself.”

“Ugh! Fucking shit, Ignis, could you give a guy a break for five seconds? I’ve never done this before, so cut me some slack, alright?”

“You pass off those wretched things as a gift, complete with a crude attempt at a gag, and expect me to not be upset? On top of that, you want _me_ to ‘ _cut you some slack_ ’? I’m afraid that’s not how this works.”

Did he just . . . “ _Wretched things_??” Gladio scoffed, incredulous. “These _wretched things_ that I worked all day on?? The _wretched things_ that I was so fucking nervous about that I completely botched them?? And for the last fucking time, this isn’t an attempt at a joke! I really wanted to . . . I was trying to—”

“Trying to _what_??”

“ _To tell you I love you, fuck!_ ”

That shut Ignis right up and completely changed his expression. His eyes went wide with surprise and his jaw dropped, but he was quick to close it. Everything literally stilled around them. Somewhere in the small apartment, music played and there was the click of the heater turning on. If Gladio looked hard enough, he could see that Ignis was breathing rather hard, his chest heaving. Gladio hadn’t meant for the words to come out like that, so loud and brash, but he couldn’t take them back now as much as he wanted to.

This whole thing was an utter disaster. Why didn’t he just get Ignis a stupid coffee mug or something? _Why_ did he have to be a Hopeless Romantic once again and woo his best friend with fucking cupcakes? How old was he, five?? Dejected at the lack of response from him, Gladio quickly shoved the gifts into Ignis’ chest and moved to open the door. Everything spun around him and he knew he needed to get out of there fast, before he made an even bigger ass of himself and threw up in the entryway.

“Gladio, wait!”

“No, it’s fine, I get—”

“Gladio, don’t—”

“Iggy, just let me—"

With his back still to Ignis, hand on the doorknob, he barely heard the sound of the gifts cast to the side on the entryway table.

Then, Ignis’ grip on the muscle of Gladio’s bicep, unable to pull away.

Getting pulled back but then forcibly pushed up against the door.

Gladio didn’t have _any_ time to react and it took a second or two for the fog to clear before he realized that Ignis was kissing him. Hard. With tongue.

While Gladio just fucking stood there like a goddamn idiot. It wasn’t until the cold tips of Ignis’ fingers found their way under his ugly sweater that he came to his senses, right as a low moan escaped his lips. He wrapped one arm around Ignis’ back, pulling him closer and trapping the future strategist’s hands under his sweater, while Gladio’s other hand tangled in his hair.

He kissed back, exploring the inside of Ignis’ mouth with his tongue and almost snickering as Ignis made a play to bite his lower lip. The sting was a beautiful pain, a stark reminder that _this was actually happening._ This _wasn’t_ like the dreams he’d be so used to having more and more these days, ones where he’d wake up and Ignis wasn’t beside him. Ones where he woke up, painfully aroused and seeking for release, only to have to turn to his own hand and pretend it was Ignis’.

This was _real_ and it was even _better_ than he thought.

Gladio gripped a handful of hair on the back of Ignis’ head, pulling just so he could kiss his way from the lips that were already swollen from their heavy make-out session to the exposed, pale skin of his neck. Ignis almost went completely limp in Gladio’s arms and he had to work a little harder to hold him up as he found what appeared to be a particularly sensitive spot right at the crook of Ignis’ neck and shoulder. Usually, Gladio would’ve made some smartass comment or something to throw Ignis off, but it was hard to form simple words when all his focus was on trying to kiss every square inch of the guy he’d been crazy about for _years_ now.

“Shall we . . . _ahhhh_ . . .” Ignis dissolved into a long and drawn out moan as Gladio tugged desperately at the buttons of Ignis’ shirt, popping one or two off in the process and nipping at the skin that was covered under up. Lost in the moment, he sucked a large and dark mark, forgetting that Ignis was the type of person to probably _hate_ shit like that. Or, maybe not, as his fingers—once cold but warmed up now against Gladio’s muscular abs and chest—twisted and brushed against his nipples.

Now it was Gladio’s turn to be a little vocal. A growl came from deep in his throat and he was pleasantly surprised that even _that_ seemed to turn Ignis on, the goosebumps emerging on his skin evident enough. He bit at his earlobe and kissed his jaw. “Did you want to finish that sentence, Iggy?”

He didn’t voice his thoughts out loud, but Ignis did remove his hands from Gladio’s chest and blindly made an attempt for his hand; missing once, twice, and a third time before finally interlocking his fingers in the Shield’s. Gladio had been at Ignis’ apartment more times than he could count and spent countless nights on his couch, so it wasn’t a huge ordeal for the two of them to stumble their way through the flat while still lip-locked. Around the modest coffee table, passed a lamp, down the hall, they could definitely do this blindfolded if need be. At one moment, Ignis guided Gladio against the wall and tugged at the bottom hem of his sweater. “I want this off,” he said in a husky tone that Gladio was not at all used to.

“Well, aren’t you needy.”

“Don’t make me ask twice.”

Ignis was always a man of his word and Gladio did _not_ want to find out what Ignis’ threat would mean for him if he didn’t oblige. “You got it.”

The sweater was tossed to the floor, followed by Ignis’ shirt shrugged off his shoulders. Hands were on belts and buttons and zippers and shoes were toed out of. In the midst of all of this, of clothes going every which way while Gladio continued to hear the faint sound of music in the background, the two managed to keep their lips on each other. Tongues tasting each other and names moaned between them.

In only their underwear, Gladio continued to let Ignis push him down the hallway to the bedroom, through the door until the backs of his knees hit the bed. He fell backward, bouncing only a little on the soft mattress, and quickly situated himself in the middle while Ignis climbed on top and straddled him. It was fucking _hot_ to see the wet spot on Ignis’ underwear, the pre-come from his arousal seeping through. Gladio’s dull fingernails dragged harsh red lines down the man’s back as he bent forward to kiss and suck at his chest.

The future Shield arched his back off the bed, eyes pinched shut when Ignis ground his cock against his. “Iggy . . . fuck, do that again.”

“Do . . . do what again?” he whispered, lost in peppering bites on the muscles of Gladio’s front. He didn’t seem to know what it was he’d just done, so Gladio took the liberty of showing him by thrusting his hips upwards, chuckling when Ignis fell flat against him, unable to hold himself up when he did it.

“ _That._ ”

“Oh, are we playing _that_ game?”

“Seems so.”

Gladio’s fingers played with the band of Ignis’ boxer briefs and Ignis quickly took the hint, rolling off of him and onto his back. He lifted his hips up and allowed Gladio to take the underwear off, smirking when Gladio followed suit. Then, the smirk faded as quick as it came and Gladio began to worry.

They were now in bed

Naked.

After Gladio had just spilled his feelings about Ignis.  

Fuck, this was scary.

The moon was casting soft shadows across the two of them through the window. A siren sounded in the distance—probably a cop or something out to apprehend a late-night criminal. No noise, though, could detract from how nervous Gladio felt in this moment.

He really didn’t want to fuck up. In fact, always envisioned that things would go smoothly, if he ever got the opportunity to do this with him. But now, looking down at the man, flushed, his cock hard and leaking against his belly, it was just . . .

“What’s wrong?” Ignis asked, lifting himself onto one elbow to get a better look at Gladio.

The Shield sat back on his haunches for only a moment. “It’s just that . . .” he licked his lips and tried to find the words before he spoke.  Fuck, he would just go for it. “Iggy, you have _no idea_ how long I’ve wanted this and . . . and it would . . .” they both stared at each other until Ignis reached up, long fingers around the back of Gladio’s neck, pulling him down into a slow and languorous kiss. It made Gladio relax and lose all sense of fear and nervousness, the way that Ignis moved his lips. Pried open his mouth with his tongue. Squeezed just hard enough with his fingers to show that he was in this for real.

Leave it to Ignis to calm the situation without a single word.

Gladio crawled on top of him, a hand gripped on Ignis’ thigh, sure to leave bruises tomorrow. His nose bumped against the lens of Ignis’ glasses and Ignis broke their kiss, removing his glasses and handing them to Gladio while motioning at his nightstand, breathlessly. “If you . . . If you want to take things further . . . then . . . everything is in the drawer,” he suggested between shuddering breaths as Gladio continued to grind his hips into Ignis’, clearly enjoying what it was doing to the Chamberlain.

_Say no more_ , Gladio thought as he took the spectacles and deposited them on the surface of the nightstand. He reached for the drawer, fingers touching what he assumed were work papers, a paperback novel, a charger for his phone, and— _ah! Yes!_ —a box of condoms and a bottle of lube. Gladio took a condom out of the box and, in the same hand, grabbed the lube before slamming the drawer shut. The look that Ignis was giving him right now was one of absolute lust, eyes narrowed and lips apart just enough.

Flicking open the cap of the bottle, Gladio allowed a small dribble of the liquid to drip onto his fingers, almost falling onto the sheets under him. He nudged Ignis’ legs apart just so and gave him several kisses on his knees, his leg, his hips, and another one just close enough to his dick that he cried a wanton sound. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you feel real good after this.”

“Is that a promise?” he incited, knowing full well that Gladio was always good for his promises.

Gladio never took his eyes off of Ignis. He couldn’t help but stare as his fingers circled Ignis’ entrance, his legs spread. So indecent and yet _so right_. There were many things he wanted to say to him right now, like how beautiful he looked when he wasn’t so focused on work. How hot he sounded when he moaned Gladio’s name. What a fucking great kisser he was. Instead, he decided to keep his mouth shut and press his finger inside Ignis. Another cry of pleasure and Gladio watched as Ignis adjusted, heavy breaths from his opened mouth. Seeking some relief, Gladio gave himself a few strokes as he withdrew his finger slowly, only to thrust it back in again faster and deeper the second time. Again. And again. He did this several times before adding a second, and finally a third finger. On the third finger, Ignis sharply inhaled. “You ok, Iggy?”

He wasn’t wincing, but the face he was making wasn’t one of pure bliss like it had been just before. “Yeah . . . give me one . . . sorry, it’s been . . . a minute . . .”

They stilled, waiting for Ignis to accustom himself to the stretch and burn of Gladio’s fingers inside of him. To help take his mind off the pleasurable pain, Gladio stopped playing with himself and, instead, took Ignis’ cock in his calloused hands, using the come that had beaded on the tip to slick up and down his shaft.

“ _Gladio_ ,” he murmured, fingers grasping for purchase on the sheets. The pillow. Anything, really. The Shield knew he was making him feel _really fucking good_ right now.

He worked in tandem when he knew Ignis was ready, fucking him with his fingers while simultaneously jerking him off. The sounds coming from Ignis’ mouth were nothing if not obscene at this point, a side of him Gladio had never dreamt he’d ever see.

When he was sure Ignis was worked open, ready and waiting for him, he pulled out, his fingers and the lube combining to make for a lewd, slick noise. Ignis made a disapproving sound, no doubt feeling empty right now. “Don’t worry, we’re not finished yet,” Gladio reassured, tutting playfully as he ripped the condom wrapper open with his teeth. He rolled the condom onto himself, placing one hand on the pillow right next to Ignis’ head, while the other found the man’s hip. “Sure you’re ready for this?”

There was a gulp and Gladio saw Ignis’ Adam's apple bob as a result. Licking his lips, he curtly nodded and leaned up to kiss Gladio again. That was all the permission he needed as he entered into him, both sighing and moaning loud enough that the neighbors on the other side of the paper-thin walls were probably pissed right about now, but Gladio didn’t give a flying fuck. He’d waited _years_ for this moment. He’d watched Ignis from across many rooms, stared at him while dressed up for stupid parties and dances and balls, pined for him while he laughed at countless stupid jokes, and now he was on top of him . . . in bed . . . making _love_ to him . . . and Gladio would be _damned_ if anyone made him, or Ignis, feel like shit for the sounds they were making together.

Gladio felt Ignis hook his leg around Gladio’s, while his other leg wrapped tightly around his backside, pulling him in deeper. He bottomed out and willed away the desire to come right then and there. _Fuck_ , Ignis was tight, even after all the preparation he’d done. Once again, Ignis’ nails were scratching angry marks down his back, digging into the meat of his shoulder, grabbing at his ass. “You . . . _ahhh_ , you _really_ like to inflict pain, dontcha?”

Ignis’ hands flew away and Gladio looked down at wide and fearful eyes, almost like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He thought he was in trouble. “My apologies, I didn’t reali—”

Gladio silenced him with a kiss. With his lips still on Ignis, he said, “No, please don’t say sorry. I like it. Don’t stop, ‘k?”

A kiss in return, a drag of teeth on Gladio’s bottom lip, and nails were back to clawing desperately at his back. At first, Gladio moved slow, afraid that if he went to fast he would hurt Ignis or that he would come too soon. But it was hard to keep at that pace when his love interest was under him, wavering between whispering sweet nothings in his ear and goading him on with filthy epithets.

_Fuck me, Gladio._

_You are so good at this._

_Fill me up, please._

_I’m so lucky right now._

Eventually, Gladio picked up the pace and pounded hard into Ignis, sucking yet another mark in a not-so-subtle place. He would be _pissed_ in the morning when he’d finally get a glimpse in the mirror of the damage Gladio was doing to his skin.

Oh well, Ignis would just have to _deal_.

“Fuck me,” Ignis whined, his back arching at the same time. Right at that moment, Gladio must have hit Ignis in just the right way because he heard him crying out to the gods, a sob he couldn’t contain if he tried.

When Ignis realized what had just transpired, he brought a fist to his mouth and tried to stifle the noises, but Gladio pulled the fist away. “Please, don’t be quiet. I like it when you’re vocal. Shows me what I’m doing right, y’know?”

“Are you certain?”

“Definitely. It’s hot.”

“Oh . . . oh, ok then.”

Gladio smirked and pulled out as far as he could without completely falling out of Ignis before fucking into him hard again, prompting the same response. This time, however, Ignis allowed himself to scream out. He didn’t hold back and Gladio relished the noises. He savored the sound of his name falling from Ignis’ lips.

_Oh, Gladio_.

He wasn’t sure how long he could last like this. If this is what heaven felt like, Gladio _never_ wanted to come back. If he was to die right now, he knew he’d die happy. It was like being drunk and high and in a stupor, all at the same time.

Unable to recall his own name.

Not sure of the time of day.

Lost as to how he got here, where he’d be later.

In this moment, with every thrust into Ignis, he didn’t give a fuck what was going on outside of that bedroom.

All he cared about was showing Ignis how much he fucking loved him.

“Gladio . . . I think . . . I . . . “

Both were on the precipice of ecstasy, prolonging the inevitable. Six, Gladio was so fucking close. He could practically _taste_ the sweet hint of his orgasm on the tip of his tongue . . . or maybe that was the sharp, acidic taste of Ebony still lingering in Ignis’ mouth. Either way, Gladio didn’t want to fall over the edge alone. He wanted to take Ignis with him.

Moving just so, Gladio reached between the two of them and gripped Ignis’ cock. Practically throbbing in his hand, it barely took a few jerks from base to tip before Ignis was tensing up, shuddering and clinging for dear life. Hot ropes of come spilled between them, splashing onto Gladio’s hand and painting white on Ignis’ already pale stomach. That was all Gladio needed, the view of Ignis coming undone under him for him to finish. Just one more stutter, his hips out of sync and rhythm, and Gladio leaned down, kissing and moaning into Ignis’ mouth as he came. Ignis reciprocated, fingers playing with dark strands of his hair, heat radiating from his skin and flushed from sex.

Gladio collapsed, boneless and breathing heavy as he came down from his high. Sweat ran down the back of his neck and, for a moment, he had half the mind to feel embarrassed that he—no, _they_ —had sullied Ignis’ immaculate sheets. He pulled out of Ignis, wincing at how hypersensitive he was. It was comical how _revolted_ Ignis looked at the tacky spend drying on his stomach. Gladio stood up, removing the condom and tying it off as he made his way to Ignis’ attached bathroom.

He threw the condom away and grabbed a towel from it’s place on a hook, ran it under warm water, and came back to Ignis’ side in bed to clean him off. Ignis gave a satisfying grin in such a way that Gladio wondered if he’d ever heard of ‘after-care’ before from a partner. He was so serene and drugged out on bliss that it took everything Gladio had to not lavish more kisses all over his entire body.

Gladio threw the towel in an empty hamper, crawling back into bed with Ignis, propping his head up on his fist. “So . . . that was . . .”

“Divine?” Ignis finished. Both chuckled, knowing that’s probably the _closest_ they could come to putting into words how they felt right now. Then, the awkwardness settled in again. Were they supposed to cuddle? Was Gladio supposed to take the hint, get dressed, and leave? Was Ignis going to suggest round two?

Not that Gladio would object.

The silence stretched on for far longer than Gladio cared for, but he waited for Ignis to speak first. It looked like he had a lot on his mind, laying on his back with his eyes focused on the ceiling, fingers interlocked and resting on his own chest. His breathing was even, and he couldn’t look more content if he tried. Did Gladio dare to break his reverie?

Lucky for him, Ignis saved him the hassle of deciding what to do. “Gladio . . . I have a favor to ask, if I may,” he said, not moving a single muscle. “My gift should still be on the entryway table. If you wouldn’t mind retrieving it, I would like for you to bring it here so you could open it. It may explain my outburst earlier.”

Well, _of course_ he would! Gladio, careful not to show too much excitement, scooted his way off of Ignis’ king-sized bed (because, honestly, would Ignis have anything _less_ than a king-sized bed?) and, in the nude, walked to Ignis’ front door where he said the presents still were. Along the way, Gladio smirked at the trail of clothing, discarded this way and that. They couldn’t even wait until they got into Ignis’ bedroom to strip each other of their clothes.

Was Gladio wrong about Ignis after all? Had he had feelings for him, too, this whole time?

With both presents in hand—Gladio was hungry, _dammit_ , and he was going to eat an ugly cupcake—he practically floated back to the bedroom, still on Cloud 9. Now, Ignis was upright, back against the headboard of his bed. The sheets and blankets were pooled around his legs and hid anything from view, much to Gladio’s dismay.

Before Gladio could take two steps into the room, Ignis began to speak. “I feel I owe you an apology, Gladio, and please allow me to explain.” Gladio settled on the edge of the bed, naked but not feeling the least bit vulnerable anymore. He put the Tupperware of cupcakes between the two and held Ignis’ wrapped gift in his hands. He listened as Ignis continued. “You see, when I received your name in Secret Shiva, it honestly terrified me. Here I was, granted the perfect opportunity to . . . how do I put this . . . lay out my feelings for you. I felt you were so out of my league and too good for me that I wanted to make sure my gift to you was the best, understand?”

Gladio laughed. “Wait, Iggy . . . _you_ thought you were out of _my_ league??” Ignis shot him a glare, eyes clouded with hurt and Gladio felt the need to explain. “Iggy, you’re _way_ better than I am! If anything, it’s _you_ out of _my_ league!”

“Come now, we know that’s now true. Gladiolus, you’re charming, great with people, well-off, humorous . . .”

A blush crept on Gladio’s cheeks and he dragged a hand down the front of his face. “Keep it up, and my ego will be too big to fit through your doorway.”

Ignis shrugged, giving Gladio a smile and a half-laugh. “Be that as it may . . . I wanted to get you the _best_ gift. I was a nervous wreck when I got to Noct’s abode and maybe it wasn’t fair of me to go off the rails the way I did when I opened your gift, but I was afraid you’d found out my feelings for you somehow and were making fun of me. I know how those Glaives can be and I know how close you are to them. I can only imagine the things they say about me and what they’d dare you to do if word got out that I had feelings for you, too.”

Gladio abandoned Ignis’ gift to the side and crawled to him, taking his hand into his own. “No! No, no, no, absolutely not, Iggy! Fuck, I . . .” the entire thing was _beyond entertaining_ now, “what do I get the guy who I’ve loved for years who already has everything he could _possibly_ want?? I wanted you to see that I loved . . . liked . . . loved?” Gladio tested the word again and Ignis nodded, seemingly ok with it, “you, so I made these Ebony cupcakes that I found online. But, I was so fucking nervous that I wrote this message on them, the icing ganache shit melted, they’re all lumpy and uneven—”

Ignis held his other hand up to signal for silence. “Your cupcakes, though not exactly what I would call ‘pleasing to the eye’, are lovely. I am quite appreciative that you went out of your way to make me a dessert that includes my favorite caffeinated beverage, as well. Truly,  I understand, which is why I’m apologizing for my brash behavior now. It was unfair of me. So, if you would, please open my gift and we can discuss everything when you do.”

Ok, so Ignis _wasn’t_ mad and he never _was_ mad. He’d just been hurt and afraid that Gladio was making fun of him. Yeah, Gladio could see that. It made sense. Now, the box was back in his hands and he was curious. What did Ignis get him?

Tentative fingers ripped along the seam of the paper, exposing a brown box. Shooting a questioning glance at Ignis, he shook the box a few times to loosen the top from it and then the bottom came right off and into Gladio’s lap. Gladio took a closer look and his face lit up. He was _beaming_.

Inside were two tickets to the very same ninja move they’d gone to the night that he’d realized he’d fallen in love with Ignis. It was playing at a shitty hole-in-the-wall theater in the entertainment district of Insomnia, not far from here. Ignis’ accented voice sounded pleased as he spoke. “I realized, when we were at that movie, that I, too, loved you. I don’t know if you remember, but I looked over at you and caught you staring. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized it before, but I knew then and there that I . . . anyway, enough of the monologuing . . . I wanted to ask you out on a proper date, one where we can maybe share popcorn and some soda after dinner at that Altissian restaurant you seem to love so much. The tickets were cheap, but I propose that we spend the rest of the gil within the limit on the dinner and drinks. That is if you are still—”

Gladio was ecstatic. He wanted to _cry_. There were no words, so he settled on leaping across the bed and enveloping Ignis in a giant bear-hug before kissing him on his lips. “Yes. Yes, _please_! Yes, I would _love_ to go on a date with you. Fuck Ignis . . . this is . . .”  he looked at the tickets in his hands and back at Ignis, “this is my favorite Shivamas gift I’ve ever gotten. You don’t . . . you have no idea how much this means to me. I . . . I’ll come pick you up! We can take my dad’s car. We can get dessert afterward. We can—”

It was like they were finding any reason to interrupt each other with kisses. Now, it was Ignis’ turn to come toward Gladio, quelling his almost endless list of things they could’ve done that night. When he pulled away, he let his breath ghost on Gladio’s lips as he spoke. “We have time, hm? We don’t have to get everything done in one night. This time, I’m not going to run off because I’m scared, ok?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. I am . . . you are . . . this is . . .”

The tickets were thrown behind him and Gladio pulled Ignis on top of him. They buried themselves under the covers, lost in each other’s bites and kisses and lips again.

Favorite gift, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few more Gladnis fics in mind, so this isn't the end for these two from me :) Keep an eye out!
> 
> Come scream with me on Tumblr and Twitter. Same user name!


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